Chauvin great-grandmother takes on travel

Monday

Oct 8, 2012 at 10:46 AM

Chauvin resident Laurella LeCompte knows it's never too late to have fun.

Nikki BuskeyStaff Writer

Chauvin resident Laurella LeCompte knows it's never too late to have fun.LeCompte, who turned 90 Thursday, always wanted to travel. But her late husband of 67 years, Percy LeCompte, hated traveling.Her daughter, Brenda LeBlanc, was in a similar situation. Her husband never wanted to travel. So 20 years ago, the female members in the family decided to take a vacation themselves to Cancun. “It's much more fun going with a bunch of girls than husbands, so we can cut loose,” LeBlanc said.It kicked off a family tradition that's taken LeCompte, her daughters, and granddaughters to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Mexico, the Bahamas, New York City, Philadelphia, Hawaii and the West Indies.“It's never too late,” LeCompte said.She proved that on the family's last trip, a cruise that went through the Bahamas and Key West. LeCompte's daughters and granddaughters persuaded the 90-year-old great-grandmother to go parasailing.LeCompte was glad for the adventure, but she said she wouldn't do it again.“After I was up, I was all right if I didn't look down,” she said. “I was waving.”But that doesn't mean her vacations are low key. LeCompte has also ridden on party boats and enjoys hot-tubbing on her vacations.LeCompte stays sharp and active despite her age. She loves to paint, sew, research genealogy at the Terrebonne Main Library and enjoys history. One of her favorite trips was to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.She was one of the original graduates of the first senior class at Terrebonne High School in 1941, she proudly said. She has 13 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.She still drives herself up and down the bayou in Chauvin and is a regular at the Terrebonne Council on Aging's Chauvin Senior Center where she serves as treasurer.She said the center is an excellent resource for seniors and has a wide variety of activities to keep seniors active, including bingo, art, daily meals and parties.“The center helps a lot,” LeCompte said. “It gives you stuff do to.”And keeping your mind and body active, LeCompte said, is the secret to living well in old age.She's not ready to slow down any time soon. LeCompte already has another trip to Cancun planned for November.“Everyone says they want to be like me when they're my age,” LeCompte said with a big smile.

Nikki Buskey can be reached at 857-2205 or nicole.buskey@houmatoday.com.